International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC)

International Orthodox Christian Charities, IOCC, is the official humanitarian agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America. Since its founding in 1992, IOCC has provided $534 million in emergency relief and long-term development programs, without discrimination, to vulnerable families and communities in more than 50 countries. IOCC works in cooperation with the Orthodox Church and strengthens its capacity to respond to those in need. All assistance is provided solely on the basis of need, and benefits orphans, refugees and internally displaced persons, the elderly, school children, families and people with disabilities. IOCC helps people move from desperate circumstances to hope and economic self-sufficiency. In Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, IOCC provides refugees and IDPs with emergency supplies, vocational training, and tuition for school. In Bosnia, Kosovo, the West Bank, and Gaza, IOCC makes possible loans for small businesses, tools and seeds for farmers, and the construction of water cisterns and training in animal husbandry and farming for isolated communities. People in Ethiopia living with disabilities or suffering from the debilitating tropical disease, podoconiosis, receive awareness training, medical treatment, and vocational training to gain self-sufficiency. In Uganda, uneducated children orphaned by war or the country’s AIDS epidemic are finding a fresh start in newly built day and boarding schools equipped with the tools and teachers needed to help them learn and grow towards a future in which they will able to provide for themselves.

20 February 2015 - Freezing temperatures, heavy snow and chilling winds sweeping across Syria are putting thousands of young lives in jeopardy as displaced mothers struggle helplessly to keep their small children warm and sheltered from the harsh winter conditions.